Improved paddle-wheel



UNITED STATES PATENT Orricn,

IMPROVED PADDLE-WHEEL.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 37,572, dated February 3, 1863.

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM G. FORD, of- Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York,have invented, made, and applied to use a certain new and useful Improvement in Paddle-Wheels; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of my said invention, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making part kof this speciiication, wherein-- Figure l is a side view of part of a paddlewheel, with some of the arms removed to show the buckets in section. Fig. 2 is a side view of one of the buckets in larger size, and Fig. 3 is a similarly-sized section of one bucket.

Similar marks of reference denote the same parts.

Buckets have heretofore been made of a triangular form. My invention therefore does not relate, broadly, to such buckets.

The nature of my invention consists in an arrangement of triangular or prismatic buckets in three tiers, so alternating with each other that the water passing between two of the tiers is taken by one of the buckets in the intermediate tier, and the water passing on each side of this intermediate bucket is taken by the succeeding two tiers of buckets. I also form my buckets of sheet metal and place them so that the sides of the prismatic buckets stand at an equal angle to the radial line, thereby causing the wheel to act equally well when movin g in either direction.

In the drawings, a is the shaft, and b the hubs, of the paddlewheel. c c are the arms, and d the rings, all of any usual or desired construction. e e are the outer tier of my buckets 5 f f, the bucket-s arranged on the saine radial lines as the buckets e e, but nearer to the center of the wheel. These buckets ff are to be smaller than the buckets c e. g g are buckets intermediate to the buckets e e and f f, and they stand n earer to the center of the wheel than the buckets e e and farther than the buckets ff, so that in the revolution of the wheelthese buckets g g take the water that passes between the buckets e and f, and the water that passes above and below these buckets g g is in turn taken by the said buckets eand j'. All the buckets, being triangular or prismatic, and the sides of the buckets standing at an equal angle to the radial line, act equally Well, whether revolving in one direction or the other, and the tendency of these prismatic buckets is to force the water away from the wheel, thereby prevent its being thrown into the center of the wheel, so that less water is carried along and raised upon the wheel, and the bucket in coming out of the water presents two faces for the delivery of said water at an angle from which said Water will run much more quickly and freely than from the ordinary fiat bucket. These prismatic buckets are to be made of sheet metal as thin as consistent with the required strength. The sheets of metal are to be bent and folded as required and riveted together, as at l l, and end pieces, 2 2, are to be introduced in order that the buckets may be water-tight, or nearly so, to avoid weight in the wheel as much as possible, and flanges 3 8 are also provided, by which said buckets are to be attached to the arms or rings of the wheel. An arm-hole, as at 4, should also be made in each bucket, with a water-tight cover, as usual, in order that any repairs thereto may be made, and water emptied out if any should leak in. Where three hubs with their respective arms and rings are employed, so that the wheel contains two ranges of buckets, said buckets are to bc placed so that the two tiers e and f of one side come on'the line of the single tier g in the other side of the wheel.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,isl l. The arrangement of the prismatic buckets e, j', and g, in the manner and for the pur poses specified.

2. The construction of the prismatic sheetmetal buckets, with the flanges 3 3 and armhole 4, for the purposesland as specified.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my signature this 19th day of December, 1862.

WM. U. FORDs Witnesses:

Trios. GEO. HAROLD, CHAs. H. SMITH, 

